Young children are, by nature, accident prone. Bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes go hand in hand with their everyday adventures. From falling down while running, walking into things and getting cuts and bruises, no one gets through childhood without some sort of mishap.
Along with being accident prone, children usually have a fairly low tolerance for pain. “Crybabies” would run to their caretakers when confronted with a minor cut, in dire need for comfort from an adult to take their mind off the discomfort. This can be exasperated by the stinging sensation on the open wound caused by disinfectants or antiseptics used to treat the injury. The adult guardian is often requested to “make it better” right away. This usually involves the time-honored tradition of blowing on the wound. The air creates a cooling, soothing sensation that can alleviate some feeling of pain. However, blowing on the open wound can greatly increase the risk of infection from germs and bacteria from the mouth, thereby prolonging the time the wound would cure or even worsen the injury. The caretaker blowing on the wound may also reach a state of hyperventilation as the child screams for further relief.
Another way to apply cooling to the injured area is to use vinyl packs filled with a non-toxic silica gel, commonly known as “Cold Packs.” Chattanooga Group of Hixson, Tenn., for instance, markets a cold pack in the shape of a teddy bear under the name “Boo Boo Pac” for use with children. However, cold packs need to be kept refrigerated before use and can not be readily made available when away from a refrigerator or freezer. This makes them impractical when the child is injured away from the home. Also, since these cold packs are meant to be re-useable, direct application to an open wound may not be hygienic.
Alternatively, “instant cold packs” that deliver cooling by means of an endothermic chemical reaction resulting from mixing two substances, (typically ammonium nitrate or urea with water) can be used where there is no refrigeration available. These packs can provide cooling pain relief, and help reduce swelling and inflammation, and can be used to treat sprains, cuts and bruises. However, since these instant cold packs are spent and have to be disposed after only one use, these are often impractical and unnecessarily expensive for minor cuts and scrapes in children.
What is desired, therefore, is a device that can provide cooling relief to a minor wound which is convenient and hygienic.
The device should be economical and be reusable for numerous times.
The device should contain medicines, ointments, antiseptics and/or bandages capable of treating minor cuts and scrapes in a compact unit.
The device should have a kid-friendly design, said design helping to alleviate some of their anxiety in getting treatment for their wound.
The device should allow the child to participate the tending of his or her own wound, in order to learn important first aid knowledge.